Crystals, such as single crystal ingots of silicon, are grown by the Czochralski method in a crystal-growing furnace, which usually includes a crucible containing a melt, the crucible being within a contaminant-free, low-pressure chamber, with a pulling-head mechanism for drawing the crystal from the melt along a vertical axis at a steady rate, while providing relative rotation about the vertical axis for the growing crystal with respect to the melt. The method is carried out in a sealed, vacuum-type chamber in which the crucible is placed, and typically the housing includes a generally elongated chamber directly above the crucible, as a crystal-growing chamber of a crystal-receiving chamber. Such crystal-growing or crystal-receiving chamber has been provided with vacuum-sealed doors, wherein, after growth the hot crystal may be removed through the front opening door in the crystal-growing chamber.
The present method of handling crystals and removing crystals from crystal-growing furnaces is through opening the door through the crystal-growing or crystal-receiving chamber by an operator and disconnecting the grown crystal from the seed holder, such as by snapping the neck of the crystal by mechanical means, such as by the use of pliers. The hot, heavy crystal is then removed by the operator from the chamber for further manufacturing and processing. Grown crystals, such as of pure silicon, may be grown in various lengths and diameters; for example, from about 100 millimeters or more in diameter and from 10 to 60 inches or more in length, with the neck of the crystal being about 2 to 3 millimeters. The crystal, after grown, often is quite heavy; for example, 50 to 150 pounds. Usually, the door of the crystal-growing chamber is located several feet off the floor and above the chamber in which the crucible is held, and, therefore, must be reached by the operator through the use of a stepladder. Such an arrangement and method are not wholly satisfactory, since the method of handling and removing the crystal requires manual operation of hot and heavy crystal by the operator, with the possibility of damage to the crystal by falling or contacting during the removing and handling. Therefore, it is desirable to provide an effecient and mechanical means and an improved method for handling and removing crystals from crystal-growing furnaces.